Softer and More Beautiful
by starlight.moon.princess
Summary: As Christmas approaches, the wesen of Portland and their allies manage to find some time to enjoy the warmth of the holidays despite all their troubles :: 3 - Mrs Clark reflects on children, Christmas, and Holly. :: 4 - The Glühenvolk reach Alaska with their baby daughter. :: 5 - Khloe Sedgewick finds new hunting grounds
1. Hope Springs Eternal

**A/N: This is going to be a collection of what I hope will be 25 fics by the time it's done, both drabbles and short one-shots. It will focus on a whole host of characters, including some of the really minor ones. I hope you like it!**

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The problem with being a Grimm with a conscience, he mused, was that there were undoubtedly some _wesen_ who would have preferred that he didn't have one at all. And the problem with being him was that he inevitably ended up in the parts of Portland that were populated by said _wesen_.

He had been on the trail on a suspect – a human suspect, for once – in a murder investigation when he'd been led here. Unfortunately for him, he was right in the middle of _mellifer_ territory – and by the looks he was getting from windows, they still hadn't forgiven him about their queen.

It had been a long day – he'd been on the trail all day, and to top it all off, Nick hadn't yet managed to catch a sight of him. All he wanted was a place to rest for some time before returning home.

In most other parts of the city, it wouldn't have been a problem – there were usually a couple of _eisbieber_ families around who were happy to give him something to eat and drink and a place to rest. But the _mellifers_ protected their territory just as fiercely as bees protected their hive, and there were no friendly _wesen_ here to help him out.

He started to trudge back towards his car, preparing himself for a long drive back to Monroe's, where he was meeting Monroe and Rosalee for dinner. At least, that was what he planned to do – when he heard the softest whisper possible.

Turning towards the sound, he saw that the source of the sound was a young woman from one of the houses he had thought were owned by the _mellifers_. At that moment, he was sure that she was a regular human – there was no chance that one of the bee _wesen_ would be helping him – until he noticed her _woge_ for a second before returning to human form.

It was enough to make him curious, and despite the voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Monroe telling him not to, he found himself approaching her.

"Come in quickly," she whispered urgently once he came within earshot, "Before one of the others sees you."

Only when he was inside the house and she had locked the door that she relaxed. It was then that Nick noticed that all the curtains on the windows facing the street were drawn, preventing anyone from looking in.

"Just wait here for a second," she murmured, turning around and making her way towards what Nick assumed was her kitchen.

She came out holding two glasses. Handing one to Nick, she said, "It's apple cider. You looked tired outside – this will do you some good."

Nick was slowly finding the woman in front of him more interesting by the second. "Why are you helping me?" he asked curiously, taking a sip from the glass she handed him. She was right – it was good. "I thought the _mellifers_ wanted nothing to do with me."

"They don't," she replied, "But I'm not really a part of the hive, so the new queen can't control my actions."

"What do you mean?"

"_Mellifer_ society works almost identical to bee society – we have one queen, and a whole host of worker bees. The queen is the only female _mellifer_ who is part of the hive – the wives of the worker bees are humans, or other wesen, and the same goes for any daughter. But once in a while, there will a new female _mellifer_ born – the new queen."

"So you're the new queen?" he asked. "I thought that when that happens, it's the new queen who keeps the hive, and the old one leaves with a few worker bees to find a new hive."

"That's where _mellifer_ society differs," she replied. "It's the new queen that needs to find a new hive – she's given a few of the worker bees born in her generation to help her find her new territory, but the old queen keeps control over most of the original hive."

"But still, I would have expected you to hold the same grudge as the hive I met does."

"The hive is the queen's responsibility," the woman explained. "The old hive had no choice but to turn against you – if they hadn't done so, the queen would have looked weak. But in doing so, she's turned many of Portland's _wesen_ against the _mellifer_ hive."

Nick opened his mouth to question her words, but before he could, she continued. "I don't think you realise it, Grimm, but you have earned the loyalty of many different _wesen_ since you became Portland's Grimm. In turning away from you, the hive found that these _wesen_ turned away from them. Honey sales are down significantly since that happened, and selling honey is an integral of how _mellifers_ make their livelihood. I don't plan on letting that happen to my hive."

"Won't you be leaving Portland? I thought the city was all the territory of the hive I met – they just keep to this area."

"No, the length and breadth of the territory is this part of Portland. I'm free to claim another part, as long as it isn't too close to the old hive. And I don't particularly want to leave this city. Besides, you were just doing your job that day. If _Mellischwuler_ Wincroft had been careful and stayed out of your radar, you would never have been forced to turn against her. That's a mistake I don't plan on making anytime soon."

He supposed it was too much to ask that the _mellifers_ make peace with the idea of never killing _hexenbiest_ again – but at least this time, he had advance warning of what could happen if the witch-like _wesen_ ever returned to Portland.

"Once the new hive is ready, I'll be sure to let you know," the woman murmured. "You will be welcome there whenever you wish to visit, Grimm, I promise you this. And if you ever need any help, just remember that you can call upon Ramona Spinella."

Regardless of whatever Ramona was planning, it still made him happy to know that he hadn't earned the hatred of all the _mellifer_ because of the last time he had encountered them. It gave him hope for his relationships with the other _wesen_ who hated him, like the _bauerschwine_.

Maybe, he mused, there was still hope that he could be the Grimm he wanted to be without alienating most of the relatively harmless _wesen_ that called Portland home. Whatever the case might be, he was thankful that he met the young queen when he did – she had given him both a place to rest and a restoration of his hopes, things he had badly needed.

What had seemed like hours wasted fruitlessly chasing his suspect had turned into a day that hadn't been as bad as he had thought it was. He had met Ramona at what he was sure Monroe would call the best possible time when Nick told him the story – after all, there was no better to have his hopes returned to him than at the start of winter and the Christmas season.

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**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	2. Flames of Change

**Ariel Eberhart from 'Plumed Serpent' this time...**

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"I heard about what happened in Portland."

"I'm surprised that not everyone has," the young woman replied, sipping gently from the glass of wine in her hands. "The Grimm is big news as it is, and considering what happened that day…"

"There's a reason we stay away from the rest, you know that. No one would have believed that it was you and your father that night – like the Grimm, the rest of our world believes us to be practically extinct too."

"Maybe," Ariel Eberhart replied, setting down her now empty glass, "But that doesn't change the fact that that isn't how it should be. Once we were feared, and warriors sought _us_ out to test themselves. And now – do you know how much trouble I had to go to in order to make sure that my father had the satisfaction of dying at the hands of a worthy opponent? We have diminished in a way none of the other _wesen_ have."

"Maybe so, Ariel, but it was the only choice we had. We may be rare today, but when we still celebrated as dragons, we were rarer still. Fading into the background has allowed our species to survive and start to develop a significant population."

The dark-haired woman rose from her and moved towards the window, scowling. Looking out of the window, she aimed her glare at the gently falling snowflakes. "I hate the snow," she murmured. "It's like nature itself is laughing at us."

The man sighed. "Ariel…"

"Fine," she said harshly. "I'll leave the argument for now. You told me you had something to give me?"

"Follow me," the man replied.

He walked up to the far wall of the room, and with a click of a button – Ariel couldn't spot where it was – it seemed like the ground opened up below him. Following him into the newly revealed secret basement of the house, she found a lair not unlike the one her father had made his last stand in.

"Not even I have been able to escape some influence from the humans," he explained as they walked further in. "And considering it's supposed to be the season of giving…"

That brought a slight smile to Ariel's lips. "You were always easily swayed, William," she said. "I'm surprised that you haven't become _wieder_ yet."

William blushed lightly. "To tell you the truth, Ariel, I have been considering it," he muttered bashfully.

"Same old William. You never change."

"Regardless of that, here we are," he said as they reached what looked to be a wall of pure stone. Another quick press of the button, and the wall opened slowly.

The glitter that emanated from behind the wall would have blinded most people, especially since it came as a surprise in the darkness of the basement. But both Ariel and William were _dämonfeuer_, and their eyes had evolved to withstand the light from the glitter of treasure hoard in the inside of a cave.

William darted over to his hoard, and grabbed a few items from it – a richly studded gold crown and a statue made of delicate bronze wires. He walked over to Ariel, closing away the rest of the treasure in the process, and handed them to her.

"You did tell me that you had to rebuild your hoard after you left Portland," he said as a way of explanation.

"Perhaps human traditions have their advantages after all," Ariel mused, bestowing him with one of her rare true smiles as she accepted his offerings.

The two of them climbed back up to the main house in silence. It was only when the entrance to the basement was closed that Ariel finally started up a conversation again.

"It's getting rather late, William," she said, looking out the window once again. "I should leave before it gets too dark and I'm forced to use my fire in order to return home."

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Ariel," he replied. "We can continue this discussion then."

"Of course," she smiled. And just before she left, she quickly darted over to kiss him on his cheek.

William waved goodbye, a bright blush on his face, long after she disappeared from his line of sight.

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**I hope you guys liked it! Please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	3. Childhood Dreams

**A/N: Mrs Clark from 'Let Your Hair Down' this time. It's shorter than the others, but I still hope you like it!**

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"It's gorgeous!" she gasped, spinning around to look at the gigantic tree in the middle of the shopping village.

As she watched the young girl nearly dance at the sight in front of her, the woman behind smiled unashamedly. Just having Holly back – well, that had been more than she could ever have imagined. But to see her here, in the middle of the winter season, experiencing Christmas again for the first time after so long? It was almost impossible to believe that she was getting to see it.

After they had lost Holly, it was like Mason had lost the will to live. He hadn't lived long enough to see Holly again – but she had never given up hope. She might not have given birth to Holly, but that didn't make her any less of a mother to her. And a mother always knew.

Somewhere deep inside, she had known that Holly was still alive. And as long as there was any chance at all that she would see her child once again, she would never lose herself like Mason had. She had promised herself that.

That young detective had her gratitude in a way that he would never know, and then there was Monroe. After a bit of coaxing, Holly had told her how he had found her and made sure she survived her injuries – and how he was helping her acclimatization process as she tried to fit back into civilization after her long years in the forest.

"Mom!" Holly's exclamation broke her out of her thoughts. "Mom, come here, you have to see this!"

As she walked towards Holly, Emma Clark smiled brightly. For her, there was nothing better than listening to her child's happiness. She hadn't had the chance to hear it for nearly an entire decade – and now, just as Christmas approached, she had her daughter back.

That – that was the best possible Christmas gift that she could ever have. Nothing, past, present or future, would ever be able to better it.

"Mom!"

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**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)  
**


	4. A Rose By Any Other Name

She imagined that had they arrived here at any other time, it would still have looked as it did right now, glowing a soft white that brought back memories of safety and home.

It had been a long journey for the three of them. A Grimm might have assisted her when she gave birth, and he might have had two predatory _wesen_ with him helping, but that had done nothing to curtail her wariness. They were unusual – and as any Glühenvolk child knew, it was best to be careful that to constantly expect something unusual.

It had taken them months to reach here, the cares of their newborn daughter coming before anything. If there was no obvious, immediate threat to their lives, they would spend days at the same place, allowing them all a chance for some much needed rest.

But finally – _finally_ – they were here, in a place that looked just like what she imagined Paradise to be. There were friendly faces everywhere; faces she wouldn't have to worry would sell her out at the slightest chance.

Neither she nor the man beside her had grown up here, their families preferring to try and live like their ancestors once did – among other _wesen_ and ordinary humans, relying on their control over their _wesen_ forms to protect them. They had been killed because of their choice.

But when she had discovered that she was pregnant, there had been no other option for the two of them. Their child would grow up safe in a way they never had the chance to, have the family they had both lost too early.

And after so long, they were in Alaska. They were safe, and she could breathe once again instead of worry about another hunter coming after her baby.

"Jocelyn?" The concerned voice jarred her out of her thoughts immediately.

"I'm fine, Vincent," she said, smiling up at her gorgeous husband reassuringly.

"Shall we?" he asked her in a murmur. "I don't think we'll be able to keep them away for long – the sight of Rose already has everyone spellbound."

"She's a baby, Vince. It's really no surprise that they're enthralled – I'm sure they think that she's their early Christmas gift."

"A new saviour for our species reaching them in early December," he mused mischievously, "Sounds about right."

She burst out laughing at his mock seriousness, a laughter she hadn't felt comfortable to let out of her for months. They had barely been here a few moments, and she was already feeling so much freer.

"Come on, Vincent," she said in reply, "Let's go introduce Rose to her new family."

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**A/N: Yes, I had they name their daughter after Rosalee - I thought it was a fitting way for them to honour the woman who helped bring her into the world :)  
I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to review on your way out :)  
**


	5. Black Widow

**A/N: Episode tag to 'Kiss of the Muse,' 2.20**

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The man standing in the middle of the room was classically handsome – dark hair, tall, with soulful eyes hardly any woman could resist. He would have looked like a model out of the glossy pages of the most popular magazines, had it not been for the worried look on his face.

"I heard you were chased out of Portland," he finally said.

An ugly frown appeared on the young woman's face. "That half-royal – he has delusions of grandeur. If it weren't for him, the Grimm would have been out of the way, arrested for murder like he should have been when he killed his first _wesen_. But, of course, the half-breed had to interfere."

"I warned you when you set your eyes on him, Khloe. The royals don't share, and even if he isn't a full royal, he still has some of their blood."

"You don't understand, Marcus. You never have."

"I understand family loyalty better than you imagine, Khloe. Your ancestor was the most famous of the _Musai_ in recent history, one of the few whose deeds managed to fill the pages of the history books after the fall of Greece and Rome. I understand why you want revenge for her, but setting after that Grimm was a stupid idea."

"One of _his_ ancestors killed her, Marcus! Immediately after she had managed to get Van Gogh to destroy himself, too! That hunter killed her at her moment of triumph, and when I heard that they managed to break the _Hexenbiest's_ spell – well, I thought it was fitting, destroying him during _his_ greatest moment of success."

The man shook his head in defeat. "You always were impetuous, Khloe. I don't know why I thought I could talk sense into you on this matter."

"I did not come here to have this conversation, Marcus. I assume you haven't had any sort of drastic change in your orientation since I last saw you?"

"Not at all, Khloe," replied tiredly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's best not to let two predators after the same prey live in one territory for long, Marcus. I came here because I knew that we could both hunt in the same area without stepping on each other's toes."

"Khloe…"

The woman turned to face him sharply, her features shifting for a fraction of a moment from a brunette, brown-eyed woman to one with shocking red hair, eyes of the brightest blue, and skin so pale it seemed to glitter in the light. Her ears had lengthened, giving her the appearance of a nymph from ancient myths – at least, until she turned back to her human form as quickly as she had shed it.

"I came here to let you know as a courtesy, Marcus. You wouldn't have known I was here had I not told you – I don't think you make it a habit to keep track of the crimes men commit in the heat of passion," she growled at him. "It's the middle of winter, and we both know that crime rates spike during human vacations. You would have remained clueless had I not come here first."

"You only came here to gather some supplies, Khloe, not out of any sense of loyalty. We both know that, so stop acting like the wronged party here," he finally let out, his irritation at her overpowering all his instincts that were telling him to act courteous towards his guests, even the uninvited ones.

"Oh, don't look so worried – you've heard about the true royal families' plan for Portland, its Grimm, and that upstart half-breed too. I won't be here for long – once that freak is out of my way, I can concentrate on taking my revenge."

Before Marcus could say another word, Khloe turned and started to walk out of the apartment. It was only when she reached the door that she paused and turned back to look at him.

"Besides, it's the season of giving Marcus, in case you haven't heard. And a new hunting ground is undoubtedly one of the best gifts I can give myself right now," she murmured, a dangerous smile curling up her face.

And with that, she walked out of his apartment, and he knew with a sickening burst of realisation that he life had just become more – _interesting_.

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**A/N: Because this is the world of Grimm, after all...not everything can be light and fluffy!  
Besides, is it just me who got odd vibes from Khloe? She rather freaked me out, the way she was so calm when Renard questioned her - right until he woged, of course ;)  
I hope you guys liked it! Please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


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